KR102534535B1 - Filling Machines for Aerosol Delivery Devices - Google Patents

Abstract

A filling machine for an aerosol delivery device is provided. The aerosol delivery device includes a control body equipped with a power source and a cartridge equipped with a heating element and containing an aerosol precursor composition. The control body is coupled with or engageable with the cartridge to form an aerosol delivery device. The charger includes a housing, a connector, and a power supply whose power is rechargeable when the charger is engaged with the control body. A connector is coupled to the housing and configured to couple the charger and control body. The power supply includes a photovoltaic cell configured to convert light energy into electrical energy and generate a corresponding voltage output, and a buck converter configured to step down the corresponding voltage output to a lower voltage from which the power source is rechargeable.

Description

Filling Machines for Aerosol Delivery Devices

The present disclosure relates to aerosol delivery devices, such as smoking articles, and more particularly to aerosol delivery devices (e.g., smoking articles, commonly referred to as e-cigarettes) that can utilize electrically generated heat to create an aerosol. The smoking article may be configured to heat an aerosol precursor, which may be made of tobacco, contain materials obtainable from tobacco, or otherwise contain tobacco, which precursor may form an inhalable substance for human consumption. .

Many smoking devices have been proposed over the years as improvements or alternatives to smoking products that require burning tobacco for use. Many of these devices are intentionally designed to provide the sensations associated with cigarette, cigar or pipe smoking without delivering significant amounts of incomplete combustion and pyrolysis products resulting from the combustion of tobacco. To this end, numerous alternative smoking products, flavor generators, and medicinal inhalers have been proposed that use electrical energy to evaporate or heat volatiles, or that attempt to provide the sensation of cigarette, cigar, or pipe smoking without significant tobacco burning. . See, for example, US Pat. No. 8,881,737 to Collett et al., Griffith Jr. US Patent Publication No. 2013/0255702 to Sebastian et al., US Patent Publication No. 2014/0000638 to Sebastian et al., US Patent Publication No. 2014/0096781 to Sears et al., US Patent Publication No. 2014/0096782 to Ampolini et al., Davis et al. U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015/0059780 and U.S. Patent Application No. 15/222,615 to Watson et al., filed on July 28, 2016, present in the background of the various alternative smoking products, aerosol delivery devices, and heat generating sources. Reference is made, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference. Reference is also made to the various embodiments of products and heating arrangements set forth in, for example, the background of US Pat. No. 5,388,594 to Counts et al. and US Pat. No. 8,079,371 to Robinson et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference. The entirety is incorporated by reference.

However, it may be desirable to provide a charger for an aerosol delivery device with improved electronics, such as high current charging of the device.

The present disclosure relates to aerosol delivery devices, methods of forming such devices, and components of such devices. Accordingly, the present disclosure includes without limitation the following example implementations.

Exemplary Embodiment 1: A charger for an aerosol delivery device comprising a control body equipped with a power source and a cartridge equipped with a heating element and containing an aerosol precursor composition, comprising: a housing coupled to the housing to form an aerosol delivery device; a connector configured to couple a charger with a control body that is coupled or mateable with the cartridge for the purpose, and a power supply capable of recharging power when the charger is coupled with the control body, wherein the power supply converts light energy into electrical energy and generates a corresponding voltage. A photovoltaic cell configured to generate an output, and a buck converter configured to step down a corresponding voltage output to a lower voltage capable of recharging the power supply.

Example Implementation 2: A charger of any of the preceding example implementations, or any combination of any of the preceding example implementations, wherein the charger includes a capacitive sensor configured to detect user input indicative of a selected voltage. The apparatus further includes a power supply configured to adjust a corresponding voltage output to a selected voltage in response to the detected user input.

Example Embodiment 3: The charger of any preceding example implementation, or any combination of any of the preceding example implementations, wherein the capacitive sensor is configured to implement a button, slider or wheel, or touchscreen or touchpad, respectively. It is a configured 0, 1 or 2 dimensional capacitive sensor.

Exemplary Embodiment 4: The charger of any preceding exemplary implementation, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementations, wherein the selected voltage is a plurality of selections for a corresponding plurality of output terminals comprising a buck converter. one of the possible voltages, and the power supply further comprises a plurality of arrays of resistors, each array operably coupled to a respective one of the corresponding plurality of output terminals, the resistance value being one of the plurality of selectable voltages. It is directly proportional to the respective voltage.

Exemplary Embodiment 5: The charger of any preceding exemplary implementation, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementations, wherein the buck converter has a quiescent current of one milliamp (1 mA). .

Exemplary Embodiment 6: The charger of any of the preceding exemplary embodiments, or any combination of any of the preceding exemplary embodiments, wherein the voltage output from the photovoltaic cell is between 14 and 22 volts (V) and from the buck converter The lower voltage output is 2.7V to 8.4V.

Example Embodiment 7: The charger of any preceding Example Embodiment, or any combination of any of the preceding Example Embodiments, wherein the rechargeable power source from the power supply is at least one of a supercapacitor or a thin film solid state battery. is or includes

Example Embodiment 8: The charger of any preceding example implementation, or any combination of any preceding example implementations, wherein the power source rechargeable from the power supply is or includes a supercapacitor, and wherein the lower voltage is sufficient to allow the supercapacitor to reach or exceed the charge termination voltage threshold in less than one (1) minute of recharging.

Example Embodiment 9: The charger of any of the preceding Example Embodiments, or any combination of any of the preceding Example Embodiments, wherein the power source is or includes a thin film solid state battery, and the lower voltage is a thin film solid state battery. is sufficient to ensure that a recharge in five (5) minutes or less reaches or exceeds the charge termination voltage threshold.

Exemplary Embodiment 10: A method of filling an aerosol delivery device comprising a control body equipped with a power source, a heating element and a cartridge containing an aerosol precursor composition, the charger comprising: a housing, a connector coupled to the housing, and a charger wherein the power source comprises a rechargeable power supply when coupled with the control body, the method comprising: in a charger, coupling, using a connector, the charger with a control body coupled or combinable with a cartridge to form an aerosol delivery device; converting light energy into electrical energy using a photovoltaic cell and generating a corresponding voltage output, and stepping the corresponding voltage output using a buck converter in the power supply to a lower voltage capable of recharging the power source. down) to provide power to recharge the power.

Exemplary Embodiment 11: A method of any of the preceding exemplary implementations, or any combination of any of the preceding exemplary implementations, wherein the charger further comprises an input device comprising a capacitive sensor, wherein the method comprises a capacitive sensor. Detecting user input representative of the selected voltage, using the sensor, and adjusting, using the power supply, a corresponding voltage output to the selected voltage in response to the selected user input.

Example Implementation 12: The method of any preceding example implementation, or any combination of any preceding example implementations, wherein the capacitive sensor implements a button, slider or wheel, or touch screen or touch pad, respectively. It is a 0, 1 or 2-dimensional capacitive sensor configured to

Exemplary Embodiment 13: The method of any preceding exemplary implementation, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementations, wherein the selected voltage is a plurality of selections for a corresponding plurality of output terminals that the buck converter comprises. one of the possible voltages, and the power supply further comprises a plurality of arrays of resistors, each array operably coupled to a respective one of the corresponding plurality of output terminals, the resistance value being one of the plurality of selectable voltages. It is directly proportional to the respective voltage.

Example Implementation 14: The method of any preceding example implementation, or any combination of any of the preceding example implementations, wherein the buck converter has a quiescent current of one milliamp (1 mA).

Exemplary Embodiment 15: The method of any preceding exemplary implementation, or any combination of any preceding exemplary implementations, wherein the voltage output from the photovoltaic cell is between 14 and 22 volts (V), and the voltage output from the buck converter is The lower voltage output is 2.7V to 8.4V.

Illustrative Embodiment 16: The method of any preceding illustrative embodiment, or any combination of any preceding illustrative embodiments, wherein the rechargeable power source from the power supply is at least one of a supercapacitor or a thin film solid state battery. is or includes

Example Embodiment 17: The method of any preceding example implementation, or any combination of any preceding example implementations, wherein the power source rechargeable from the power supply is or includes a supercapacitor, and wherein the lower voltage is sufficient to allow the supercapacitor to reach or exceed the charge termination voltage threshold in less than one (1) minute of recharging.

Exemplary Embodiment 18: The method of any of the preceding exemplary embodiments, or any combination of any of the preceding exemplary embodiments, wherein the rechargeable power source from the power supply comprises a thin film solid state battery, The voltage is sufficient to allow a thin-film solid-state battery to reach or exceed the charge termination voltage threshold within five (5) minutes of recharging.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, briefly described below. This disclosure includes any two, three, four, or combination of any two, three, four, or more features or elements presented in this disclosure, provided that such features or elements are expressly expressly incorporated in the specific example implementations described herein. Regardless of whether or not in combination or cited. This disclosure is intended to be read in its entirety, and any individual feature or element of this disclosure is deemed combinable in any of its aspects and example implementations, unless the context of the disclosure clearly dictates otherwise. should be considered

Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the above summary has been presented solely for the purpose of summarizing some exemplary embodiments in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it will be understood that the foregoing exemplary implementations are merely examples and should not be construed as limiting the scope or spirit of the present disclosure in any way. Other exemplary implementations, aspects and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description for carrying out the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which, by way of example, show the principles of some described exemplary implementations.

Accordingly, having described the present disclosure in general terms above, reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, which need not be drawn to scale:
1 depicts a side view of an aerosol delivery device comprising a cartridge coupled to a control body, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
2 is a partial cut-away view of an aerosol delivery device according to various exemplary embodiments;
3 is a partial cut-away view of a charger coupleable to a control body of an aerosol delivery device according to various exemplary embodiments;
4 and 5 show various components of a charger and control body according to various example implementations;
6 illustrates various operations in a method for controlling a filling machine for an aerosol delivery device according to various example implementations.

The present disclosure will now be more fully described below with reference to exemplary implementations thereof. These example embodiments are described so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Indeed, this disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the implementations set forth herein; rather, these implementations are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. As used in the specification and appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an", "the" and the like include plural referents unless the context dictates otherwise. Further, while reference may be made herein to quantitative measurements, values, geometric relationships, etc., any one or more, if not all, of these may be absolute or allowable variations that may occur due to engineering tolerances or the like, unless otherwise indicated. can be approximated to account for

As discussed below, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate to aerosol delivery systems. Aerosol delivery systems according to the present disclosure use electrical energy to heat a material (preferably without burning the material to any appreciable degree) to form an inhalable substance; The components of these systems take the form of articles that are most preferably compact enough to be considered handheld devices. That is, the use of components of preferred aerosol delivery systems does not result in the production of smoke in the sense that aerosols are primarily a by-product of combustion or pyrolysis of tobacco, but rather use of these preferred systems results in volatilization of certain components contained therein. or the generation of vapor due to vaporization. In some exemplary embodiments, components of the aerosol delivery system may be characterized as electronic cigarettes, which most preferably include tobacco and/or components derived from tobacco, and thus tobacco-derived components in aerosol form. convey

The aerosol-generating piece of certain preferred aerosol-delivery systems is employed by ignition and combustion of tobacco (and hence inhalation of tobacco smoke) to provide a variety of smoking sensations without burning any of the components thereof to any significant extent. (e.g., breathing behavior, flavor or aroma form, sensory effect, body feel, use behavior, visual cues such as those provided by visible aerosols, etc.). For example, a user of an aerosol-generating piece of the present disclosure can hold and use the piece much like a smoker would use a traditional type of smoking article, and hold one end of the piece for inhalation of the aerosol produced by the piece. You can inhale, do several puffs at selected time intervals, and the like.

Additionally, an aerosol delivery system of the present disclosure may be characterized as being a vapor generating article or a drug delivery article. Accordingly, such articles or devices may be configured to provide one or more substances (eg, flavorants and/or pharmaceutically active ingredients) in inhalable form or condition. For example, an inhalable substance may be substantially in the form of a vapor (ie, a substance that is in the gas phase at a temperature below its critical point). Alternatively, the inhalable substance may be in the form of an aerosol (ie, a suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in a gas). For simplicity, the term "aerosol" as used herein refers to vapors, gases and aerosols in a form or type suitable for human inhalation, whether or not visible and in a form that may be considered smoke or the like. .

Aerosol delivery systems of the present disclosure generally include a number of parts provided within an outer body or shell, which may be referred to as a housing. The overall design of the outer body or shell may change, and the format or configuration of the outer body may also change, which may define the overall size and shape of the aerosol delivery device. Typically, an elongated body resembling the shape of a cigarette or cigar may be formed from a single integral housing, or the elongated housing may be formed from two or more separate bodies. For example, an aerosol delivery device may be substantially tubular in shape and may include an elongated shell or body resembling the shape of a conventional cigarette or cigar. In one example, all components of an aerosol delivery device are contained within one housing. Alternatively, an aerosol delivery device may include two or more housings that are coupled and detachable. For example, an aerosol delivery device may include a housing containing one or more reusable components (eg, rechargeable batteries and/or capacitors such as supercapacitors, and various electronics for controlling the operation of the article). It may have a control body at one end, and at the other end may have an outer body or shell containing a disposable portion (eg, a disposable flavor-containing cartridge) removably coupled to the control body.

The aerosol delivery system of the present disclosure most preferably comprises a power source (i.e., an electrical power source), at least one control component (e.g., by controlling the current from the power source to other parts of the article, activating, controlling, A means for regulating and stopping, such as a separate microprocessor or a microprocessor as part of a microcontroller), a heater or heating element (eg, an electrical resistance heating element, which alone or in combination with one or more additional elements may be referred to as a “nebulizer”) or other components), an aerosol precursor composition (e.g., components commonly referred to collectively as "smoke juice", "e-liquid" and "e-juice"), generally sufficient liquid capable of generating an aerosol when heated) and a mouthend area or tip allowing aspiration of the aerosol delivery device for inhalation of the aerosol (e.g. penetrating the article so that the aerosol generated can be expelled from the article upon inhalation) confined air flow paths).

More specific formats, configurations and arrangements of components within an aerosol delivery system of the present disclosure will become apparent in light of the additional disclosure provided below. Further, the selection and arrangement of various aerosol delivery system components can be understood by considering commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices such as the representative products discussed in the Background section of this disclosure. The arrangement of components within an aerosol delivery device can also be understood by considering commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices. Commercially available products - whose components, methods of operation, materials included in the products, and/or other attributes may be included in the devices of the present disclosure - are ACCORD ^® of Philip Morris Incorporated; ALPHA™, JOYE 510™ and M4™ from InnoVapor LLC; CIRRUS™ and FLING™ in White Cloud Cigarettes; BLU™ from Lorillard Technologies, Inc.; COHITA™, COLIBRI™, ELITE CLASSIC™, MAGNUM™, PHANTOM™ and SENSE™ from ^Epuffer® International Inc.; DUOPRO™, STORM™ and VAPORKING ^® from Electronic Cigaretts, Inc.; EGAR™ from Egar Australia; Joyetech's eGo-C™ and eGo-T™; ELUSION™ by Elusion UK Ltd; EONSMOKE ^® from Eonsmoke LLC; FIN ^TM of FIN Branding Group, LLC; Green Smoke Inc. SMOKE ^® from USA; GREENARETTE™ from Greenarette LLC; HALLIGAN ^TM , HENDU ^TM , JET ^TM , MAXXQ ^TM , PINK ^TM and PITBULL ^TM of Smoke Stik ^® ; HEATBAR ^™ from Philip Morris International, Inc.; Crown7's HYDRO IMPERIAL ^TM and LXE ^TM ; LOGIC ^TM and THE CUBAN ^TM from LOGIC Technology; LUCI ^® from Luciano Smokes Inc.; METRO ^® from Nicotek, LLC; NJOY ^® and ONEJOY ^TM from Sottera, Inc.; SS Choice LLC's NO. ^7TM ; PREMIUM ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE ^TM from PreminumEstore LLC; RAPP E-MYSTICK ^TM from Ruyan America, Inc.; RED DRAGON ^™ from Red Dragon Products, LLC; RUYAN ^® from Ruyan Group (Holdings) Ltd.; SF® of Smoker Friendly International, LLC; GREEN SMART SMOKER ^® from The Smart Smoking Electronic Cigarette Company Ltd.; SMOKE ASSIST ^® by Coastline Products LLC; SMOKING EVERYWHERE ^® by Smoking Everywhere, Inc.; V2CIGS ^TM from VMR Products LLC; VAPOR NINE from VaporNine LLC; VAPOR4LIFE ^® from Vapor 4 Life, Inc.; VEPPO ^™ of E-CigaretteDirect, LLC; AVIGO, VUSE, VUSE CONNECT, VUSE FOB, VUSE HYBRID, ALTO, ALTO+, MODO, CIRO, FOX + FOG, and SOLO+ from RJ Reynolds Vapor Company; MISTIC MENTHOL by Mistic Ecigs; and VYPE by CN Creative Ltd. Additionally, other electrically powered aerosol delivery devices, and particularly those characterized as so-called e-cigarettes, include COOLER VISIONS™; DIRECT E-CIG™; DRAGONFLY™; EMIST™; EVERSMOKE™; GAMUCCI®; HYBRID FLAME™; KNIGHT STICKS™; ROYAL BLUES™; SMOKETIP ^® ; It was marketed under the trade name SOUTH BEACH SMOKE™.

Additional manufacturers, designers, and/or assignees for components and related technologies that may be used in the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure include Shenzhen Jieshibo Technology of Shenzhen, China; Shenzhen First Union Technology of Shenzhen City, China; Safe Cig of Los Angeles, CA; Janty Asia Company of the Philippines; Joyetech Changzhou Electronics of Shenzhen, China; SIS Resources; B2B International Holdings of Dover, DE; Evolv LLC of OH; Montrade of Bologna, Italy; Shenzhen Bauway Technology of Shenzhen, China; Global Vapor Trademarks Inc. of Pompano Beach, FL; Vapor Corp. of Fort Lauderdale, FL; Nemtra GMBH of Raschau-Markersbach, Germany; Perrigo L. Co. of Allegan, MI; Needs Co., Ltd.; Smokefree Innotec of Las Vegas, NV; McNeil AB of Helsingborg, Sweden; Chong Corp; Alexza Pharmaceuticals of Mountain View, CA; BLEC, LLC of Charlotte, NC; Gaitrend Sarl of Rohrbach-les-Bitche, France; FeelLife Bioscience International of Shenzhen, China; Vishay Electronic BMGH of Selb, Germany; Shenzhen Smaco Technology Ltd. of Shenzhen, China; Vapor Systems International of Boca Raton, FL; Exonoid Medical Devices of Israel; Shenzhen Nowotech Electronic of Shenzhen, China; Minilogic Device Corporation of Hong Kong, China; Shenzhen Kontle Electronics of Shenzhen, China, Fuma International, LLC of Medina, OH; 21st Century Smoke of Beloit, WI; and Kimree Holdings (HK) Co. Limited of Hong Kong, China.

In various examples, an aerosol delivery device may include a reservoir configured to hold an aerosol precursor composition. The reservoir may, in particular, be formed from a porous material (eg, a fibrous material) and may therefore be referred to as a porous substrate (eg, a fibrous material).

Fibrous substrates useful as reservoirs in aerosol delivery devices can be woven or nonwoven materials formed from a plurality of fibers or filaments, and can be formed from one or both natural and synthetic fibers. For example, the fibrous substrate may include a glass fiber material. In certain instances, cellulose acetate materials may be used. In other exemplary embodiments, carbon materials may be used. The reservoir may be substantially in the form of a container and may contain a fibrous material therein.

1 depicts a side view of an aerosol delivery device 100 comprising a control body 102 and a cartridge 104, according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. In particular, FIG. 1 shows an intercoupled control body and cartridge. The control body and cartridge can be detachably aligned in functional relationship. The cartridge may be connected to the control body by a variety of mechanisms resulting in threaded engagement, press-fit engagement, interference fit, magnetic engagement, and the like. The aerosol delivery device, in some exemplary embodiments, can be substantially rod-shaped, substantially tubular, or substantially cylindrical in shape when the cartridge and control body are in an assembled configuration. The aerosol delivery device may also be substantially rectangular or rhomboidal in cross section, which may provide greater compatibility with substantially flat or thin-film power sources, such as power sources including flat batteries. The cartridge and control body can include respective individual housings or outer bodies that can be formed from any of a number of different materials. The housing may be formed from any suitable structurally robust material. In some examples, the housing may be formed of a metal or alloy such as stainless steel, aluminum, or the like. Other suitable materials include various plastics (eg, polycarbonate), metal-plated plastics, ceramics, and the like.

In some exemplary embodiments, either or both of the control body 102 or the cartridge 104 of the aerosol delivery device 100 may be referred to as disposable or reusable. For example, the control body may have a replaceable battery, a rechargeable battery, and thus a connection to a common wall outlet, a connection to a car charger (ie cigar jack), and a USB cable or connector, for example. It can be combined with any type of recharging technology, including connection to a computer via a network, or connection to a photovoltaic (sometimes referred to as a solar cell) or photovoltaic cell to a solar panel, or connection to an RF-to-DC converter. Additionally, in some exemplary implementations, the cartridge may include a disposable cartridge as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 8,910,639 to Chang et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.

2 more specifically illustrates an aerosol delivery device 100 according to some example embodiments. As can be seen from the cutaway view shown in FIG. 2 , the aerosol delivery device can include a control body 102 and a cartridge 104, each of which includes a number of discrete components. Components shown in FIG. 2 represent components that may be present in the control body and cartridge, and do not limit the scope of components included in this disclosure. For example, as shown, the control body includes a control component 208 (eg, a separate microprocessor or a microprocessor as part of a microcontroller), a flow sensor 210, a power source 212 and one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs). ) 214, and these parts can be variably aligned. An LED may be an example of a suitable visual indicator that may be mounted on an aerosol delivery device. In addition to, or alternatively to, visual indicators such as LEDs, other indicators may be included, such as audio indicators (eg, speakers), haptic indicators (eg, vibration motors), and the like.

The power source 212 may include, for example, a (disposable or rechargeable) battery, a lithium ion battery (LiB), a solid state battery (SSB), a thin film SSB, a supercapacitor, or the like, or some combination thereof. Some examples of suitable power sources are provided in US patent application Ser. No. 14/918,926 to Sur et al., filed on Oct. 21, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference.

An example of a suitable solid state battery is ST Microelectronics' EnFilm™ rechargeable solid state lithium thin film battery, which features a LiCoO ₂ cathode, a LiPON ceramic electrolyte and a lithium anode. In particular, ST Microelectronics' EFL700A39 battery has a nominal voltage of 4.1V and a thickness of only 220um. The rated life of the battery is 10 years, and the charge/discharge cycle life is 4000 times. The battery also has a relatively short typical charge, charging in about 30 minutes in some cases. The battery has a ceramic electrolyte which can generate current by the movement of electrons and thus reduces the risk of undesirable dendrite growth at the cathode and anode which can cause a short circuit. Ceramic electrolytes can also prevent fire hazards in case of contact with fire.

The supercapacitor can be any of a number of different types of supercapacitors, such as electric double layer capacitors (EDLCs), hybrid capacitors such as lithium ion capacitors (LICs), and the like. Supercapacitors such as EDLCs can be evaluated with a fast charge (eg, 3 seconds). Supercapacitors are rated for long life (eg, 32 years) and cycle life (eg, 1,000,000 charge/discharge cycles) and provide an environmentally friendly and low cost solution. Supercapacitors can provide high current pulses to electrical loads. And because the supercapacitor does not contain a flammable electrolyte between the electrodes, the supercapacitor can operate with negligible probability of a short circuit occurring.

Hybrid capacitors such as LICs generally have the characteristics of a battery (high voltage and high energy density) while retaining the traditional characteristics of a capacitor of fast charging (eg, 3 to 120 seconds). Hybrid capacitors are rechargeable and can operate on their own for longer periods without the need for another energy source from which the hybrid capacitor can be charged. Hybrid capacitors have a longer cycle life (eg, 10 years) and are more environmentally friendly than other options.

The cartridge 104 may be formed of a cartridge shell 216 that surrounds a reservoir 218 configured to store an aerosol precursor composition and includes a heater 220 (sometimes referred to as a heating element). In various configurations, this structure may be referred to as a tank; Accordingly, the terms “cartridge,” “tank,” and the like may be used interchangeably to refer to a shell or other housing that encloses a reservoir for an aerosol precursor composition and contains a heater.

As shown, in some examples, the reservoir 218 can be in fluid communication with a liquid transport element 222 configured to wick or transport the aerosol precursor composition stored in the reservoir housing to the heater 220. In some examples, a valve may be positioned between the reservoir and the heater and may be configured to control the amount of aerosol precursor composition transferred or transferred from the reservoir to the heater.

Various examples of materials configured to generate heat when an electrical current is applied may be used to form the heater 220 . The heaters in these examples may be resistive heating elements such as wire coils, micro heaters, and the like. Exemplary materials from which the heating element may be formed include kanthal (FeCrAl), nichrome, stainless steel, molybdenum disilicide (MoSi ₂ ), molybdenum silicide (MoSi), molybdenum disilicide doped with aluminum (Mo(Si,Al) ₂ )), graphite and graphite-based materials (eg, carbon-based foams and yarns) and ceramics (eg, positive or negative temperature coefficient ceramics). Exemplary embodiments of heaters or heating elements useful in aerosol delivery devices according to the present disclosure are described further below and can be incorporated into devices as shown herein and in FIG. 2 .

An opening 224 may be present in the cartridge shell 216 (eg, at the mouth end) to permit exit of an aerosol formed from the cartridge 104 .

Cartridge 104 may also include one or more electronic components 226, which may include integrated circuits, memory components, sensors, and the like. The electronic components may be configured to communicate with the control component 208 and/or an external device by wired or wireless means. The electronic components may be placed anywhere within the cartridge or base 228 of the cartridge.

Although the control component 208 and flow sensor 210 are shown separately, various electronic components including the control component and flow sensor may be combined on a printed circuit board (PCB) that supports and electrically connects the electronic components. should understand Also, this PCB can be positioned horizontally with respect to the illustration in FIG. 1 in that the PCB can be longitudinally parallel to the central axis of the control body. In some examples, the air flow sensor may include a PCB or other base element to which it may be attached. In some examples, a flexible PCB may be used. A flexible PCB can be constructed in a variety of shapes including a substantially tubular shape. In some examples, the flexible PCB may be bonded to, laminated onto, or form part or all of the heater substrate.

Control body 102 and cartridge 104 may include components that facilitate fluid coupling therebetween. As shown in FIG. 2 , the control body may include a coupler 230 having a cavity 232 therein. The base 228 of the cartridge may be configured to engage the coupler and may include a protrusion 234 configured to fit within the cavity. This coupling not only facilitates a secure connection between the control body and the cartridge, but can also establish an electrical connection between the power source 212 and control component 208 in the control body and the heater 222 in the cartridge. The control body shell 206 may also include an air intake 236, which may be a notch inside the shell that connects to the coupler to allow air of interest to pass around the coupler and into the shell, and then air inlet 236. passes through the cavity 232 of the coupler and into the cartridge through the protrusion 234.

Couplers and bases useful in accordance with the present disclosure are described in US Patent Publication No. 2014/0261495 to Novak et al., incorporated herein by reference. For example, coupler 230 as shown in FIG. 2 may form an outer periphery 238 configured to mate with an inner periphery 240 of base 228 . In one example, the inner periphery of the base may define a radius substantially equal to or slightly greater than the radius of the outer periphery of the coupler. Additionally, the coupler may define one or more projections 242 on the outer periphery configured to mate with one or more recesses 244 defined on the inner periphery of the base. However, various other examples of structures, shapes and components may be employed to couple the base to the coupler. In some examples, the connection between the base of the cartridge 104 and the coupler of the control body 102 can be substantially permanent, while in other examples, for example, the control body can be one or more disposable and/or refillable The connection between them can be broken so that it can be reused with an additional cartridge.

The aerosol delivery device 100 may be substantially rod-shaped or substantially tube-shaped or substantially cylindrical in some examples. In other examples, additional shapes and dimensions are included, such as, for example, rectangular or triangular cross-sections, multi-sided shapes, and the like.

Reservoir 218 shown in FIG. 2 may be a receptacle, or may be a fibrous reservoir as now described. For example, the reservoir may include one or more non-woven fibrous layers formed substantially in the form of a tube surrounding the interior of the cartridge shell 216 in this example. The aerosol precursor composition may be held in a reservoir. For example, a liquid component may be sorptively retained by the reservoir. The reservoir may be fluidly coupled with the liquid transport element 222 . The liquid transport element may transport, via capillary action, the aerosol precursor composition stored in the reservoir to the heater 222 , in this example in the form of a coil of metal wire. In this way, the heater has a heating arrangement structure with the liquid transport element. Exemplary embodiments of reservoirs and transport elements useful in aerosol delivery devices according to the present disclosure are further described below, such reservoirs and/or transport elements may be incorporated into a device as described herein and shown in FIG. 2 . In particular, certain combinations of heating elements and transport elements, as discussed below, may be incorporated into devices as described herein and shown in FIG. 2 .

In use, when a user inhales the aerosol delivery device 100, air flow is detected by the flow sensor 210 and the heater 220 is activated to vaporize the components of the aerosol precursor composition. Upon inhalation of the mouth end of the aerosol delivery device, ambient air enters the air intake 236 and passes through the cavity 232 of the coupler 230 and the central opening of the protrusion 234 of the base 228. In the cartridge 104, the aspired air combines with the formed vapor to form an aerosol. The aerosol exits the heater, or is inhaled or otherwise expelled, out of an opening 224 in the mouth end of the aerosol delivery device.

In some examples, aerosol delivery device 100 may include a number of additional software control functions. For example, the aerosol delivery device may include power protection circuitry configured to detect a power input, a load to the power terminals, and a charging input. Power protection circuitry may include short circuit protection, under-voltage lock out and/or over-voltage charge protection. The aerosol delivery device may also include a component for measuring the ambient temperature, and the control component 208 is configured to ensure that the ambient temperature is below a certain temperature (eg, 0°C) or below a certain temperature (eg, 45°C) before or during charging. ) or more, it may be configured to control at least one functional element that inhibits power charging - in particular of any battery.

Power delivery from power source 212 may vary over the course of each puff on device 100 depending on the power control mechanism. When the device continuously attempts to puff due to a failure of a user or a component (eg, flow sensor 210), the control component 208 controls at least one functional element for a certain period (eg, e.g., a “long puff” safety timer that automatically ends the puff after 4 seconds). Additionally, the time between puffs on the device may be limited to less than a certain amount of time (eg, 100 seconds). A watchdog safety timer may automatically reset the aerosol delivery device if its control component or software running on the aerosol delivery device becomes unstable and does not activate the timer within an appropriate time interval (eg, 8 seconds). In the case of a defective or failed flow sensor 210, additional safety protection may be provided, such as permanently disabling the aerosol delivery device to prevent unintentional heating. The puff limit switch is capable of deactivating the device in the event of a failure of a pressure sensor that continuously activates the device without stopping after a maximum puff time of 4 seconds.

The aerosol delivery device 100 comprises a puff tracking algorithm configured to stop the heater once the limited number of puffs is achieved for the attached cartridge (based on the number of available puffs calculated taking into account e-Liquid filling in the cartridge) can include The aerosol delivery device may include a sleep mode, standby mode or low power mode function, whereby power supply may be automatically cut off after a limited period of non-use. Additional safety protection may be provided in that the entire charge/discharge cycle of power source 212 may be monitored by control component 208 during its lifetime. The power source may be considered exhausted after reaching a number equivalent to a predetermined number of full discharge and full charge cycles (e.g., 200), and the control component disables at least one functional element to prevent further charging of the power source. You can control it.

Various components of an aerosol delivery device according to the present disclosure may be selected from those described in the art and commercially available. Examples of batteries that can be used in accordance with the present disclosure are described in US Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0028766 to Peckerar et al., incorporated herein by reference.

Aerosol delivery device 100 may include sensor 210 or other sensors or detectors to control the supply of power to heater 220 when aerosol generation is desired (eg, smoking during use). . Thus, for example, a way or method is provided to cut off power to the heater when the aerosol delivery device is not inhaled during use, and supply power to activate or trigger generation of heat by the heater while inhalation. Additional representative types of sensing or detection mechanisms, their structures and configurations, their components, and their general methods of operation are described in US Pat. No. 5,261,424 to Sprinkel, Jr., US Pat. No. 5,372,148 to McCafferty et al., and PCT patent applications to Flick. Publication WO 2010/003480, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

The aerosol delivery device 100 most preferably includes a control component 208 or other control mechanism for controlling the amount of power to the heater 220 during smoking. Representative types of electronic components, their structure and configuration, their characteristics, and general methods of operation are described in U.S. Patent No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al., U.S. Patent No. 4,947,874 to Brooks et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,372,148 to McCafferty et al., Fleischauer et al. U.S. Patent No. 6,040,560 to Nguyen et al., U.S. Patent No. 7,040,314, U.S. Patent No. 8,205,622 to Pan, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0230117 to Fernando et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0060554 to Collet et al., US Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0270727 to Ampolini et al., and US Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0257445 to Henry et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Representative types of substrates, reservoirs, or other components that support aerosol precursors include US Patent No. 8,528,569 to Newton, US Patent Publication No. 2014/0261487 to Chapman et al., US Patent Publication No. 2015/0059780 to Davis et al., and Bless et al. in US Patent Publication No. 2015/0216232, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Additionally, various wicking materials in certain types of electronic cigarettes, and the construction and operation of these wicking materials, are described in US Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0209105 to Sears et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. do.

Aerosol precursor compositions, also referred to as vapor precursor compositions, can include various ingredients including, for example, polyhydric alcohols (eg, glycerin, propylene glycol or mixtures thereof), nicotine, tobacco, tobacco extracts and/or flavorings. Representative types of aerosol precursor components and formulations are also described in US Pat. Nos. 7,217,320 to Robinson et al. and US Patent Publication Nos. 2013/0008457 to Zheng et al.; 2013/0213417 by Chong et al.; 2014/0060554 to Collett et al.; 2015/0020823 to Lipowicz et al.; and Koller, 2015/0020830; WO 2014/182736 to Bowen et al. and U.S. Patent Application No. 15/222,615 to Watson et al., filed Jul. 28, 2016, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Other aerosol precursors that may be used include the aerosol precursors contained in RJ Reynolds Vapor Company's VUSE ^® product, Imperial Tobacco Group PLC's BLU ^TM product, Mistic Ecigs' MISTIC MENTHOL product, and CN Creative's VYPE product. Also preferred is the so-called "smoke juice" for e-cigarettes available from Johnson Creek Enterprises LLC.

Additional representative types of components or indicators that generate visual cues may be used in the aerosol delivery device 100, such as visual indicators and related components, audio indicators, haptic indicators, and the like. Examples of suitable LED components, and their construction and use, are described in U.S. Patent No. 5,154,192 to Sprinkel et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,499,766 to Newton, U.S. Patent No. 8,539,959 to Scatterday, and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015/0216233 to Sears et al. , all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Other features, controls, or components that may be included in an aerosol delivery device of the present invention include U.S. Patent No. 5,967,148 to Harris et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,934,289 to Watkins et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,954,979 to Counts et al. 6,040,560, U.S. Patent No. 8,365,742 to Hon, U.S. Patent No. 8,402,976 to Fernando et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2005/0016550 to Katase, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0163063 to Fernando et al. 2013/0192623, Leven et al., US Patent Publication No. 2013/0298905, Kim et al., US Patent Publication No. 2013/0180553, Sebastian et al., US Patent Publication No. 2014/0000638, Novak et al., US Patent Publication No. 2014 /0261495, US Patent Publication No. 2014/0261408 to DePiano et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

As noted above, the control component 208 includes a number of electronic components, and in some examples may be formed of a PCB. Electronic components may include a microprocessor or processor core, and memory. In some examples, the control component may include a microcontroller with integrated processor core and memory, and may further include one or more integrated input/output peripherals. In some examples, the control component is connected to a communication interface to enable wireless communication with one or more networks, computing devices, or other suitably enabled devices. An example of a suitable communication interface is disclosed in US Patent Application Serial No. 14/638,562 to Marion et al., filed March 4, 2015, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Examples of suitable ways in which aerosol delivery devices can be configured to communicate wirelessly are Ampolini et al., 2016/0007651, and Henry, Jr. 2016/0219933 to et al., each of which is incorporated herein by reference.

According to some example implementations, the power source 212 of the control body 102 may be a rechargeable power source and thus may be combined with any type of recharging technology. 3 illustrates a charger 300 for an aerosol delivery device 100 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, the charger may include a housing 302 and a connector 304 connected to the housing. The connector may be configured to mate with a control body 102 that may be coupled or coupled with a cartridge 104 to form an aerosol delivery device 100 . The charger may also include a power supply 306 from which power may be recharged when the charger is engaged with the control body. While the chargers shown and described herein may be removably coupled chargers, the chargers and their configurations may also facilitate implementations in which the chargers are fixed chargers.

4 illustrates power supply 306 of charger 300 in greater detail in accordance with various embodiments. As noted above, the power source 212 of the control body 102 provides electrical power to activate and vaporize the components of the aerosol precursor composition. As shown in FIG. 4 , a power source may be coupled to an electrical load 402 that includes various components of the control body, as well as various components of the cartridge 104 when the control body is engaged with the cartridge. In particular, the electrical load may include a control component 208 and a heater 220 that may be coupled with a power source to form an electrical circuit. It may further include, for example, a flow sensor 210, an indicator, and the like.

Also shown in FIG. 4 , the power source 306 of the charger 300 may include a photovoltaic cell (PC) (eg, an organic and/or inorganic photovoltaic cell) and a buck converter 404 . A photovoltaic cell can be configured to convert electrical energy into light energy and produce a corresponding voltage output, and a buck converter can downregulate the corresponding voltage output to a lower voltage from which power can be recharged.

In some implementations, the voltage output from the photovoltaic cell (PC) can be between 14 and 22 volts (V) and the lower voltage output from the buck converter 404 can be between 2.7V and 8.4V. Also in some embodiments, the buck converter may have a quiescent current of, for example, 1 milliamp (1 mA) when charger 300 is not in use. It should be noted that, as discussed herein, voltage and current outputs may refer to actual or approximate values to and within tolerances of design specifications, engineering tolerances, and the like, of the charger.

Power supply 306 may be configured to provide a high current, low voltage output for rapid recharging of power supply 212 . As noted above, the power source may be or include at least one of a supercapacitor or a thin film solid state battery. In some examples, the power source includes a supercapacitor, and the lower voltage is sufficient to cause the supercapacitor to reach or exceed a charge termination voltage threshold with recharge in one (1) minute or less. In another example, the power source includes a thin film solid state battery, and the lower voltage is sufficient to cause the thin film solid state battery to reach or exceed a charge termination voltage threshold with recharge in five (5) minutes or less.

5 shows a charger 300 in more detail according to another embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5 , in some examples, the charger may include an input device 502 configured to detect user input indicating a selected voltage. In this example, power source 306 is configured to, in response to detected user input, adjust a corresponding voltage output to a selected voltage. As shown, the input device may be or include a capacitive sensor. In some examples, the capacitive sensor is or includes a 0, 1 or 2 dimensional capacitive sensor configured to implement a button, slider or wheel, or touch screen or touch pad, respectively.

In some implementations, the selected voltage is one of a plurality of selectable voltages for a corresponding plurality of output terminals that buck converter 404 includes. In this implementation, power source 306 further includes a plurality of arrays of resistors (eg, R ₁ , R ₂ , R ₃ , R ₄ ), each array comprising one of a corresponding plurality of output terminals. It is operatively coupled to each output terminal. The resistance value of each resistor array is directly proportional to each voltage of the plurality of selectable voltages.

6 illustrates various operations of a method 600 of filling an aerosol delivery device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The aerosol delivery device may include a control body equipped with a power source, a heating element and a cartridge containing an aerosol precursor composition. The charger may include a housing, a connector coupled to the housing, and a power supply capable of recharging power when the charger is coupled to the control body. As shown in step 602 , the method may include coupling a charger and a control body coupled or coupleable with a cartridge to form an aerosol delivery device using a connector. The method may also include converting light energy to electrical energy using photovoltaic cells in the power source and generating a corresponding voltage output, as shown in step 604 . The method also uses the power supply's buck converter to step down the corresponding voltage output to a lower voltage so that the power source is rechargeable, as shown in step 606, thereby recharging the power source. It may include providing power to

The foregoing description of use of the article(s) can be applied to the various exemplary embodiments described herein with minor modifications that will be apparent to those skilled in the art, given the further description provided herein. However, the above description of use is not intended to limit the use of the article, but is provided to meet all necessary requirements of the present disclosure. Any of the elements shown on the article(s) shown in FIGS. 1-6 or as described above may be included in an aerosol delivery device according to the present disclosure.

Numerous modifications and other implementations of the present disclosure disclosed herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains, given the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and related figures. Accordingly, it is to be understood that this disclosure is not to be limited to the particular implementations disclosed, and that modifications and other implementations are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Further, while the foregoing description and associated drawings describe illustrative implementations in the context of particular illustrative combinations of elements and/or functions, different combinations of elements and/or functions do not depart from the scope of the appended claims. It should be understood that alternative embodiments may be provided. In this regard, it is contemplated that combinations of elements and/or functions other than, for example, those expressly described above may be presented in some of the appended claims. Although certain terms are employed herein, these terms are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for limiting purposes.

Claims (18)

A filling machine for an aerosol delivery device comprising a control body equipped with a power source and a cartridge equipped with a heating element and containing an aerosol precursor composition, comprising:
housing department,
a connector coupled to the housing and configured to couple the charger with the control body coupled or coupleable to the cartridge to form the aerosol delivery device;
A power supply capable of recharging the power when the charger is coupled to the control body - the power supply
a photovoltaic cell configured to convert light energy into electrical energy and produce a corresponding voltage output; and
a buck converter configured to step down the corresponding voltage output to a lower voltage capable of recharging the power source;
an input device comprising a capacitive sensor configured to detect user input indicative of a selected voltage;
the power supply is configured to adjust the corresponding voltage output to the selected voltage in response to the detected user input;
The selected voltage is one of a plurality of selectable voltages corresponding to a plurality of output terminals included in the buck converter, and the power supply further includes a plurality of resistor arrays, each resistor array corresponding to the plurality of output terminals. operably coupled to each output terminal of the plurality of selectable voltages, the resistance value of which is directly proportional to each voltage of the plurality of selectable voltages.
charger. According to claim 1,
The capacitive sensor is a 0, 1, or 2-dimensional capacitive sensor, each configured to implement a button, slider or wheel, or touchscreen or touchpad.
charger. delete According to claim 1,
The buck converter has a quiescent current of one milliamp (1 mA)
charger. According to claim 1,
The voltage output from the photovoltaic cell is 14 to 22 volts (V) and the lower voltage output from the buck converter is 2.7V to 8.4V.
charger. According to claim 1,
The power source rechargeable from the power supply is or includes at least one of a supercapacitor or a thin film solid state battery.
charger. According to claim 1,
The power source rechargeable from the power supply is or includes a supercapacitor, and the lower voltage is sufficient to cause the supercapacitor to reach or exceed a charge termination voltage threshold with recharge in one (1) minute or less.
charger. According to claim 1,
The power source rechargeable from the power supply is or includes a thin-film solid-state battery, and the lower voltage is such that the thin-film solid-state battery reaches or exceeds a charge termination voltage threshold with recharge in five (5) minutes or less. enough
charger. A method of filling an aerosol delivery device comprising a control body equipped with a power source and a cartridge equipped with a heating element and containing an aerosol precursor composition, comprising:
The charger includes a housing, a connector coupled to the housing, and a power supply capable of recharging the power when the charger is coupled to the control body, the charger further comprising an input device including a capacitive sensor,
In the method, in the charger,
coupling, using the connector, the filling machine and the control body coupled or coupleable to the cartridge to form the aerosol delivery device;
converting light energy into electrical energy and generating a corresponding voltage output, using photovoltaic cells of the power supply;
stepping down, using a buck converter of the power supply, the corresponding voltage output to a lower voltage capable of recharging the power supply, thereby providing power to recharge the power supply;
detecting, using the capacitive sensor, a user input representative of a selected voltage, and using the power supply, adjusting the corresponding voltage output to the selected voltage in response to the selected user input;
The selected voltage is one of a plurality of selectable voltages corresponding to a plurality of output terminals included in the buck converter, and the power supply further includes a plurality of resistor arrays, each resistor array corresponding to the plurality of output terminals. operatively coupled to each output terminal of the plurality of selectable voltages, the resistance value of which is directly proportional to each voltage of the plurality of selectable voltages.
method. According to claim 9,
The capacitive sensor is a 0, 1 or 2-dimensional capacitive sensor configured to implement a button, slider or wheel, or a touch screen or touch pad, respectively.
method. delete According to claim 9,
The buck converter has a quiescent current of one milliamp (1 mA)
method. According to claim 9,
The voltage output from the photovoltaic cell is 14 to 22 volts (V) and the lower voltage output from the buck converter is 2.7V to 8.4V.
method. According to claim 9,
The power source rechargeable from the power supply is or includes at least one of a supercapacitor or a thin film solid state battery.
method. According to claim 9,
The power source rechargeable from the power supply is or includes a supercapacitor, and the lower voltage is sufficient to cause the supercapacitor to reach or exceed a charge termination voltage threshold with recharge in one (1) minute or less.
method. According to claim 9,
The power source rechargeable from the power supply is or includes a thin-film solid-state battery, and the lower voltage is such that the thin-film solid-state battery reaches or exceeds a charge termination voltage threshold with recharge in five (5) minutes or less. enough
method. delete delete

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